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Documentary follows families on path to home ownership

Published: Friday, April 19, 2013 at 4:30 a.m.

Last Modified: Thursday, April 18, 2013 at 4:38 p.m.

Jamie Martina and Paul Songy are interested in stories.

Not the fictional kind, but the real-life stories of people trying any way they can to achieve the dream of owning a home.

The duo are working on a documentary, “Build to be Home,” that will tell the stories of multiple families who followed that dream into the doors of the Housing Assistance Corp. in Hendersonville. The organization helps low-income families buy affordable homes.

Martina and Songy will follow the process from start to finish, documenting the highs and lows families experience as they work toward a better life.

The film will bust through the stereotypes, Martina said, and show the true stories behind the families who want to own a home and are using the Housing Assistance Corp. as a tool to that end.

“People don't really take the time to see past generalizations,” Martina said.

While Martina works at the Housing Assistance Corp. through the AmeriCorps Vista program, the documentary isn't a promotional piece for the nonprofit. Martina and Songy are working on the movie on their own time and there's no financial link.

Martina and Executive Director Noelle McKay began bouncing ideas off of one another in December for a documentary that could raise awareness. In February, Martina connected with Songy through the Unitarian Universalist church in Hendersonville. Songy was working on a promotional video for the church.

“Our passions definitely coincided very nicely,” Martina said.

That passion was put to work immediately.

“We dove in and got the little trailer teaser done and came up with a good strategy,” Songy said. The teaser for their documentary can be found at www.buildinghomedoc.weebly.com.

The documentary is in its early stages. They're working on background interviews with two families that have committed to being a part of it. The plan is to follow the story of at least five families.

Anytime someone new walks in, the filmmakers introduce themselves. They then follow these families, not just through the house process, but also going into their homes and filming their lives.

“It's the American Dream to own your own home and to leave something behind,” Songy said. “They want to leave something for their kids. That's a common theme we've found.”

The process of making the film, however, isn't cheap. They've raised $1,200 so far, which went toward equipment cost. The project is going to take a lot more money and they're hoping to raise money throughout the community. Donations can be made on the website, or interested people can call 412-760-3564.

“We want this to be a polished and professional project,” Martina said.

In the end, the duo hope their film, which is scheduled to be finished in January of 2014, will be showcased at the national Housing Assistance Corporation conference. If it's polished enough, they may enter it into film festivals.

And even though the project isn't connected to Housing Assistance Corp., McKay is still excited about what's to come.

“I am so excited because so rarely do you get the opportunity to look beyond a snapshot of people's lives,” McKay said. “They're going beyond the program itself and looking at people's lives.”

Reach Millwood at 828-694-7881 or at joey.millwood@blueridgenow.com.

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